Hinting Beneath the Shell
by Lucine Raven
Summary: Elena discovers she is hiding beneath her own layers when she, unwillingly at first, begins to uncover the human beneath Damon's vampire.
1. Her Horrible Dreams

Hinting Beneath the Shell

"Her Horrible Dreams"

She woke up panting and sweating. Her pounding heart screamed like thunder in her ears. Beads of sweat spilled down her nose, her trembling lips, her chin and then disappeared into the light green of her tank top. They were merely an echo of that which had thoroughly soaked her shirt, temporarily tinting it several shades darker, earlier.

Her shaking fingers reached for her pendant. She managed to get a firm hold of it after dropping it back against her skin several times. When she felt it, solid and warm from her burning skin, she knew her fear was fully warranted. He couldn't have planted the dream in her head. The vervain in her necklace guaranteed her protection from his influence.

A shiver ran down her spine. She had dreamed about him all on her own. She had dreamed of Damon Salvatore.

Her body slumped forward and she hid behind the veil of her long, chocolate brown hair. In an attempt to further escape, she buried her face as far as it could go into her hands. She wanted to disappear. She wanted to not think about it. She wanted to shut down and not feel the agonizing pain digging more holes through her heart.

Tears began to spill out between her fingers, further drenching the sheets. She let them fall until her eyes were raw, her tear ducks were dry and she could only sob without tangible release.

A gust of wind against her window finally pulled her from her endless self-pity. As she peeled back her wet sheet from her body, she turned and placed her bare feet against the icy floor. The cold didn't even register. Her mind was focused on one thing and only one thing. Her diary.

_Dear Diary,_

_I spend my days with Stefan. We're together all of the time and even when we're apart he consumes my thoughts. I wake up thinking 'Stefan'. I go to sleep thinking 'Stefan'. I'm crazy about him. Literally. And yet… in my dreams Stefan is never there. At all. In my dreams I only see, hear, smell, feel, taste… I only sense, in every way imaginable and even in those ways I cannot imagine, Damon. I think Damon. I only know Damon. In my dreams Stefan does not even exist._

_It has been a week of dreams plagued by Damon. I'm sorry I haven't told you until now, Diary, but I have been afraid to acknowledge this even to you. Every morning this week, I have woken up shaking, drenched in sweat and disgusted with myself. At first, I feared that I had lost the necklace and that Damon was planting dreams in my mind. If only it were so!_

_Every night I go to sleep with Stefan's necklace around my neck and every morning I wake up wearing it. I never take it off. So this has lead me to the only possible conclusion. My Damon filled dreams are all my own._

_ Why? Why am I dreaming of Damon? Looking at him like that? Holding him like that? Doing those things with him, which I'm only longing to do with Stefan?_

She slammed the diary shut, unable to write anymore. Then, regretting taking her anger out on her most prized possession, she gently set it down next to her on the bed.

She stared out her window. The sun was up, which meant she would have to be up soon as well.

"Stop it, Elena," she commanded herself as her fingers dug into her bed so hard that she felt acid bite into her knuckles.

If Stefan knew about her dreams with Damon it would crush his heart. She cared about him so much that as much as it pained her to keep something from him, she just couldn't bring herself to tell him. Besides, it wasn't like she actually wanted to be with Damon. The dreams were merely a torment her stupid mind was inflicting upon her. She couldn't control it. It didn't mean she cared for Damon.

She closed her eyes, steadying herself. As she felt herself begin to relax, an image of Damon's light blue eyes were starring back at her.

* * *

**A/N**: Something I've decided to work on between my long updates for Becoming Isabella. These chapters will be noticeably shorter and (hopefully) updated more frequently.

Not exactly sure where I am going with this yet. Please let me know if you have any ideas... ;) Thanks!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything "Vampire Diaries"... well, except for a wish to see Damon and Elena together.


	2. Her Problem

Hinting Beneath the Shell

"Her Problem"

"You look fabulous!"

Elena's fingers trailed down her low, v-cut, baby blue blouse to her tight jeans. She liked to joke with Bonnie that they were her "buttastic" jeans because they made her butt look fantastic.

"Bonnie, are you sure this isn't too much? I want to push him in the right direction, not thrust him in a cannon and light the fuse."

She giggled and continued molding her Elena's hair into light waves.

"Nope. I think this is just enough," Bonnie affirmed.

Elena sighed. She still felt like this was a little over-the-top, especially considering that she was only having a picnic with Stefan, but this was plan A and she hadn't thought up a plan B yet.

Stefan and Elena had pronounced their love to each other two months ago. It had been a beautiful two months of sweet kisses and light caresses and murmurs of their un-ending love since then. Still, Elena was far past ready to kick things up a notch. Regardless, every time she tried he would pull away.

'Stupid vampire self-control!' Elena thought to herself.

"Alright, finished!" Bonnie squealed.

Elena felt Bonnie's fingers lightly touch her shoulders followed by a push to turn her around. When her eyes fell upon her reflection in the mirror she smiled wickedly. Stefan would be _all _hers by tonight. She was sure of it!

* * *

When she caught Stefan starring at her when she came down the stair, she could almost feel his desire rival her own. She couldn't help, but flash him her pearly whites, while inwardly she did a victory dance. Yep. He really would be all hers soon. She didn't have any doubts about it.

He looked into her eyes and then his body stiffened. Perhaps this would take a little more effort than she thought.

"You look beautiful Elena."

'What? Not magnificent, sexy, erotic, I want to rip your pants off and take you here? Just _beautiful_? He says I look beautiful when I'm wearing sweatpants and a bun! Damn it!' she mentally shrieked.

She managed to keep smiling, and mumble thank you in response, but there was little enthusiasm in either.

If he noticed, he wasn't letting on.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, Stefan," She replied, doing her best to purr his name.

She watched his eyes grow hooded for a second and almost smiled wide again before he reined himself in. Again.

'Looks like I'm going to have to pull out all of the guns at the picnic,' she mentally chuckled.

* * *

Her hands held up her face while her elbows rested on her vanity table. She sighed for the hundredth time since she had gotten home as she reached for her treasure.

_Dear Diary,_

_What is wrong with Stefan? Do I have to get a bikini wax and perform a strip tease for him? Dance on a pole? Lay on his bed wearing nothing, but a red ribbon? Wait! I haven't even been to his house yet. That's not a very good sign._

_Am I the problem?_

Her hands wrapped into tight fists and she pounded them down in frustration. Mumbling, "damn it" under her breath, she picked her pen back up and continued.

_I have tried everything I can think of! I wore a flattering, low cut, tight shirt with tight pants. I smiled and laughed at all of his jokes. I made sure to constantly be touching him. A light caress here. A tiny kiss there._

_When he finally kissed me after I'd eaten the little sandwiches he'd prepared for me I'd given it my all! It still didn't matter. When I tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling him close as I could to deepen the kiss, he'd pushed me away. And, like usual, he finished by turning around so that I couldn't see him struggle with his thirst._

Tears started to pelt the fresh ink of her open page.

_I wish he'd let me in. I wish he'd let me closer. It has been months, yet I feel like we are still in the first week of our relationship. I just love him so much and yet he won't let me show him that love_.

Roughly, she pushed herself away from her vanity and collapsed onto her bed. She pulled her hair tie off, placed it on her nightstand, slid her body beneath her sheets and snuggled into her pillow. She just wanted to forget all everything, even if it would only be for one night. She closed her eyes and escaped to the one and only place she could do just that.

* * *

She was alone sitting on the same picnic blanket from her date with Stefan. She felt frustrated and unwanted, thinking about her massive plan A failure when suddenly she felt a substantial presence behind her.

"Elena, you look absolutely delectable," Damon whispered from behind her ear as the backs of his fingers trailed lightly down her neck to her chest.

She sighed and he responded with a pleasurable noise, which rumbled through his chest in anticipation. He moved both of his hands up to her shoulders and started rubbing her senseless. She felt her anger and sadness drain out of her as he worked her upper arms, shoulder and neck. Her body became loose and she found herself leaning into his touch.

"So eager tonight, I see," he chuckled.

"Eager to forget," She responded softly at a level she was positive he couldn't hear.

She felt him shift her body so that they were facing each other. Her brown eyes met his blue. They were thick and hooded. She was sure hers matched his.

"Yes, absolutely delectable," he muttered before crashing his lips onto hers with wild abandon. All fear of rejection flew from her mind as she soared into the incredible moment.

_

* * *

_

**A/N**: I'm a tease, yes I know, but this is only the second chapter after all and Elena is only dreaming. _Well_... for now ;)!

Also, what do we think about the interaction between Elena and Stefan in this chapter. Do we want to see more?

Special thanks to the 5 reviewers. You guys are great! Please, keep it up! It really motivates me when the writer's block starts setting in. Also, thank you to the 4 people that favorited this story and the 11 people who popped this up on their author alert. I'm beaming!!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything "Vampire Diaries"... well, except for a wish to see Damon and Elena together.


	3. Her Building Guilt

**A/N**: To clear up some confusion let it be known that,

_Italics_ = diary entries or to add extra emphasis to words or phrases

'Words' = thinking

"Words" = speaking out loud or lyrics

* * *

Hinting Beneath the Shell

"Her Building Guilt"

_Dear Diary,_

_ I can't believe it has been three weeks. Three weeks of dreaming of Damon. Three weeks of keeping it from Stefan. Three weeks and Stefan hasn't suspected a damn thing. But how could he? He barely notices anything past my surface._

She angrily scratched thick lines over her last two sentences before continuing.

_ Three weeks, and yet I am not any closer to figuring out why I am having these dreams about Damon. Of course, I'm finding this a bit hard to do considering that I haven't even seen him for about a month now. I want to spend some time around him to see how I act and feel. Really, I want to confront him about it, but what could I possibly say? "How are you getting around the vervain and putting dreams in my head?" He would just laugh and tell me the dreams were my own creation, in some colorful, distasteful way. Bastard!_

Her next words poured out in a mess of miniature letters.

_ I wish he would be wrong._

_ I used to be so sure of myself. These days… I just don't know._

She closed the book softly and slowly placed it on her nightstand. She was deep in thought and she knew when she was like this it was best to keep her diary out near here. It was helpful for instigating those moments where she had to be naked of all the masks she wore just to get through the day. Her diary was her only way to get to the heart of herself. Or was it?

'I have to talk to Bonnie,' she thought.

Snatching up her brown teddy bear from its resting place at the front of her pillows, she hugged it tightly to her chest. Closing her eyes, she began to plan exactly how she would broach the strange, frightening subject when she went to Bonnie's later.

* * *

He fingers absently traced lines around the edges of the dated picture. It was of a girl who bore an uncanny likeness to his current girlfriend.

'Catherine', he thought wistful as he touched his pointer to her lips.

'Elena,' he thought sadly as he placed the picture down and starred out at the descending sun.

He loved both women. Catherine held his soul in the past and Elena held his heart in the present. Both possessed a piece of him, which he was nothing without, but Catherine was dead, scorched by the sun by her own hand. This didn't stop her from being a great source of torment for Stefan. He still blamed himself for her death even though an extreme amount of time had passed. Even so, she was not the greatest cause of his pain right now.

_I do not know what is wrong with Elena, however I do know that something is remiss. When I touch her now she appears to barely feel me. Her eyes, when I stare into them, appear to be distant. I cannot for the unlife of me figure out where she is running off to in her mind. Furthermore, when I call her attention back to me she always looks upon me with an incredibly guilty look. I would love to question her about this, but I cannot. For one, I cannot be sure that I am not just imagining her strange behavior. Secondly, if I am correct and something is wrong with my lovely love, then I am afraid of her answer._

_ I have another, more imminent issue, which requires my attention. Damon has been disappearing for longer and longer periods of time. I do not know where he is going, but considering the nature of my brother, I have no doubt that he cannot be acting in any good manner. He is planning something! Of this I am certain. Considering Damon's nature, I know I must act before whatever his plan comes to fruition. For this reason, I must find him and follow him from a distance._

He placed his worn diary down and reached for a dark sweater. Slipping it over his head, he made his way silently out of his bedroom and down the stairs. He did not need the additional heat. His body remained constantly and comfortably (for all those non-human like himself) cold. Regardless, if a human was going to run into him while he attempted to track Damon, he needed to keep up appearances. He may have been very nervous concerning what he was about to attempt, but even at his worst, he was always very logical.

Closing the front door behind him without a sound, he slipped into the shadows of the early night.

* * *

It was Saturday. Elena and Bonnie were hanging out at Bonnie's room listening to the radio. Elena was deep in thought until the lyrics "Infatuation with you is taking me on an emotional high. I'm caught all up in this love affair baby" hit her ears. They were like a punch right to the gut and boy were they packing! She didn't know the song and she knew she didn't want to. She also didn't want to tell Bonnie what she had come to tell her, but she knew she had to starting talking before she chickened out.

'Damn song! How ironic. Well it's now or never,' Elena remarked dejectedly before opening her mouth.

"Bon, I need to talk about something, but I don't know where to start."

Her best-friend's interest was peaked. Bonnie had a huge heart, but she was definitely, at her worst, a sucker for gossip. She knew Elena was about to spill something big, but judging from the deflated, guilty vibe Elena was giving off, the information Bonnie was about to hear wasn't to be shared with anyone else.

"Well, how about you start from the beginning?" Bonnie offered sweetly.

Elena dropped her eyes the floor, searching for a way to continue. When she finally mustered up the courage to go on, she found that only word vomit would come out.

"Okay, well three weeks ago I started having all these weird dreams and I hoped they weren't my fault, but they have to be so now I'm kind of stuck trying to figure out why I'm having them and, on top of it, I'm feeling really guilty because I can't tell Stefan about them and I made him feel guilty about being a liar so now I'm a huge hypocrite and-"

"Woah, girl! You need to slow down!" Bonnie interrupted and then, after taking a moment to consider Elena's mess of words, continued with, "Okay so let me get this straight. You're having weird dreams, which are bad enough that you have to keep them from Stefan?"

Elena nodded.

"What are you dreaming about?" Bonnie asked curiously.

Elena cringed. She'd been dreading answering that question.

"I'm... I'm dreaming about... well you see... my dreams are about... Damon."

"Damon!" Bonnie shrieked. "As in Damon Salvatore?"

Elena dropped her head and mumbled, "yes" under her breath.

Bonnie's eyes were wide. This was good in a juicy, unexpected way, but so very terrible for Elena. She was smart enough to connect the dots. She knew that if Elena was feeling guilty about the dreams then they couldn't possibly be nightmares or PG in nature. Her girl was shaking up with Damon in her dreams. This was so _not_ good.

"Are you sleeping with the necklace on?" Bonnie asked, even though she knew the answer had to be yes.

Elena looked up and gave Bonnie a look that screamed, "Come on! Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Sorry. Just checking."

A silence descended upon the two. Elena feared Bonnie wasn't drawing any conclusions about the content of the dreams on her own. She did not want to have to explain them out loud. Meanwhile, Bonnie, who _had_ figured out the _exact_ nature of Elena's dreams, was worried about what it meant for her girl. Was Elena actually cheating on Stefan with his brother? Was there more to this then Elena was letting on?

"Girl are you actually..." Bonnie began, but found she couldn't bring herself to finish with the accusation.

Elena frowned. She had come here to confide in Bonnie. She had come looking for some heartfelt sympathy. Receiving accusations was so not what she was expecting.

"Am I what?" Elena snapped.

"Well… I just thought that… you see if you were… I mean, Elena this is Damon's brother..." Bonnie responded, stumbling over her words.

For a coupe of seconds Elena's eyes went blank as she found herself at a total loss for words. Then the meaning behind what Bonnie was trying to say registered in her brain, ripping her from her moment of stupor.

"Bonnie, are you asking me if I'm _actually_ sleeping with Damon Salvatore?" Elena demanded, quickly working herself up to a rage.

"I-" Bonnie began, shrinking back from her suddenly frightening friend. Elena was a force to be reckoned with when she was this angry. Bonnie would take the fatal attentions of a vampire over Elena's wrath any day.

"Bonnie that's Stefan's brother for God's sake! Not to mention that I LOVE STEFAN! And, even if Damon wasn't his brother and I didn't love Stefan, Damon's still a vile, disgusting demon and murderer," Elena screamed and then, much more softly, added, "Thanks for thinking so much of me."

A few tears slipped down Bonnie's cheeks. She knew that if she had Elena's spirit she would retaliate with the fact that Stefan was also a murderer, albeit a former one. Once a murderer always a murderer as the saying went. She also probably would have pointed out that if Elena loved Stefan so much then why was she dreaming about having sex with Damon? But Bonnie was not a firecracker. She was gentle like a flower and right now she was wilting.

Bonnie threw her arms around Elena and mumbled, "I'm so sorry. Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know, Bon," Elena whispered, but she squeezed her friend tightly.

"Well," Bonnie began, as she pulled away and a smile crept upon her face. "I'm not giving you a choice in the matter. So spill! What's _he_ like?"

A deep blush crept up on Elena's face, burning her cheeks as she remembered _exactly_ what Damon was like _vividly_. They sat for hours talking about the skills of dream-Damon and Elena's incredible, constantly increasing guilt. They discussed Stefan's lack of drive or willingness to run a homerun, much less move past second base.

The moon took the sun's place, as Elena continued to spill her heart and soul out to Bonnie. With each word she felt more relief and yet more apprehension. Elena felt relieved knowing she did not have to carry this secret all by herself, yet she felt worried about the future. What did finally revealing her dreams out loud mean? Could she keep hiding this from Stefan?

'And where the hell is Damon anyway?' she thought.

* * *

**A/N**: I'm not too happy with this chapter and it is not the most exciting, but it needed to happen and I hope it turned out all right. Anyway, I'm not making an ironclad promise, but I will say that we just _might_ see Damon in the next chapter.

Thank you for all the reviews :D! 12! Wow! I love you guys! Please, keep the feedback coming!

**Disclaimer**: Don't own it or the featured lyrics in this chapter, which are from a song called "You're My Little Secret" by Xscape.


	4. His Plans Are Unfolding

Hinting Beneath the Shell

"His Plans Are Unfolding"

Damon had to admit it. Stefan had balls. If his younger brother had chosen to follow Damon in the daytime the kid would have been taking a risk. Following his older, smarter and unquestionably more lethal brother at night was gutsy and probably suicidal, but, then again, Damon wasn't really in the killing mood. He was too fixated on his task. Besides, he could just ditch the brat if and when he needed to with ease.

He felt the familiar call, a tiny push at the back of his mind, and knew it was time to shake off little brother. As to not alarm Stefan, he moved toward a nearby ally and turned into it, without once increasing his stride. He could feel that Stefan hadn't sped up at all either. Wonderful. With a burst of his energy, he transformed into the raven and took off before Stefan could turn the corner to discover Damon's change of direction.

The rush of air felt simply divine. Slipping into his vampire face and unleashing his inner beast was incomparable to anything else. It was, putting is lightly, the best experience he could fathom. Nevertheless, flapping one's wings high up in the air was undeniably great.

When the usual spot was in sight, he began a steady decline. Slowly, but surly he moved closer until he was about thirty feet from the earth. Without moving any closer, he transformed back into his normal body and dropped to the earth.

"Damon Darling, that was incredible!" A deceptively bright voice called out against an accompaniment of clapping.

He swept his body down in an elegant bow and replied, "Anything for you, my Dark Queen."

* * *

Elena was upset. No, scratch that; she was furious! Stefan was not one, but two hours late. One wasn't excusable, but if he had a good enough reason it could be understandable. Two hours was just pushing it and the fact that he had stood her and her best friends up dropped it right over the edge. So yes, she was livid and feeling strongly in the mood to stake a the certain, dumb vampire.

She felt hands snake around her stomach and a feathery kiss planted beneath her ear. For a moment, her knees went weak and she forgot her anger. It only lasted for that moment before the discarded rage shot back up within her, demanding vengeance.

"Elena I-" Stefan began, but she wasn't having it.

"No, Stefan! Outside! NOW!"

He nodded and headed for the door, reaching to take her hand in the process. When his cold skin came into contact with her left hand she smacked his away. He stopped walking and looked at her, but resumed his movement when she shook her head at him and scowled.

As they stepped out into the night and Elena's skin came into contact with the frigid air, her arms immediately shot up to wrap around her body. Just as quickly, Stefan removed his dark sweater and moved to pull it over Elena's head.

"No," she snapped.

"You are freezing, Elena."

"I don't want it," she insisted.

"You chose to speak with me outside and it is cold out here. I will not have a conversation with you unless you are more appropriately dressed.

She cursed herself for forgetting to grab her coat. Anger had gotten the best of her and robbed her of her common sense.

"Alright," she replied and then, in a more clipped tone added, "Thank you."

He flashed his pearly whites and again, she felt her knees and resolve weaken. She couldn't have any of that so she forced herself to spit out the first thing she could think of with malice laced into her tone.

"Where the hell is Damon?"

His face dropped into a look of shock and she had to dig the nail of her middle finger into her thumb to keep herself from mirroring his look. Why of all the damn things she could have said did she have to snap a question about Damon to Stefan.

Elena decided it was official. She was an idiot. Judging from the angry look, which had replaced the shock, she may also be a dead idiot soon.

"Stefan I-" she began.

This time it was his turn to cut her off.

"Elena, why do you need to know my brother's whereabouts? I'm confused. Is there something you are not telling me?"

His clam and collected tone managed to make her feel even worse and she felt her face drop. Then it hit her that she was probably looking guilty. She needed to respond quickly without giving away too much and she needed to pump up her anger to do so.

"You know what, Stefan," she began in a tone, which helped her build up that rage she desperately needed to get through this, "I've had just about enough of your accusations."

He was confused and responded as such.

"What are you talking about, Elena?"

"Oh, you know what I mean," she said with a roll of her eyes and then launched her attack. "I don't like your accusatory tone. Are you insinuating that I am going to or an already doing something with Damon? Do you know how insulting, not to mention moronic, that is? Your elder brother killed several people I know, including my brother's girlfriend. He almost killed Caroline too, Stefan or, in your stupidity, have you forgot all of that?"

Stefan cocked his head to the side. When Elena spoke so passionately and eloquently in this manner she appeared to be frighteningly like Catherine.

"Oh, Stefan, I do see why you chose this one in my absence. Minus her appalling decorum and dress, she is so much like me, is she not?"

Both Stefan and Elena snapped their heads in the direction of the new speaker. Stefan grimaced and Elena's jaw dropped.

"Who-who are you?" Elena stammered.

* * *

**A/N**: I'm sorry that I haven't written in so long. I'm heading into finals week shortly, moving home for the holidays and then making a larger move to a different state. It's going to be hectic over the next two months, but I will do my best to update when I can.

Hopefully I can get the next chapter up by the end of the week. I finally have a direction to move this story in. YES! In the meantime, please review :)!


	5. Her Pain

**A/N**: I hope this chapter is more to your tastes and warrants a couple more reviews :/...

* * *

Hinting Beneath the Shell

"Her Pain"

"K-K-Katherine?" Stefan chocked out.

His stutter was not lost on Elena. Stefan never stuttered. She also couldn't overlook the way he stared at the strange, new arrival. Elena didn't like that look in his eyes. The spark she saw there was supposed to be reserved for her and her only.

Elena jerked her sight off of Stefan and back to the stranger.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Elena repeated with more confidence, courtesy of her building anger.

She wanted to hear the stranger confirm it. Hearing Stefan say it wasn't enough. She needed to hear it from the woman's own lips. Silently, deep down, she begged the woman to contradict what Stefan had just asked.

The woman chose to ignore her and instead flitted over to Stefan.

"Darling, we _must_ be reacquainted," the girl insisted as she intertwined her fingers with Stefan's at a pace Elena couldn't follow.

A cold, throbbing feeling sank deep into Elena's stomach. This woman was not just any vampire. She was Katherine, Stefan's maker. She hadn't died in the fire. She was very much alive.

Elena's hands were shaking as the painful realizations continued to assault her. Katherine wasn't just similar to her, as Damon had once casually suggested. No. Looking at Katherine was like looking at a mirror.

She was really going to be sick.

For a moment, Elena's trembling fingers wrapped around her vervain-filled necklace. She wanted desperately to rip it off and throw it at Stefan. She longed to scream that he meant nothing to her, that he was a lying bastard and that she had played him, just like he had clearly played her.

A light chuckle from behind her stilled her hand and filled her body with a fresh burst of adrenaline. If she rid herself of the vervain then she would be entirely defenseless against the three vampires that now surrounded her.

Her heart started to pump harder as she became increasingly aware of the danger she was in.

Elena's eyes flicked over to Stefan. He was staring adoringly into Katherine's eyes and he had not taken his hand back. Elena found her body growing numb as she took this in, but she forced her eyes to close and turn away. She needed to focus on an escape plan. She needed to desperately clear her mind and think.

"Katherine, what are you doing?" Damon asked, but Elena could detect an uncharacteristic hint of worry in his usually confident voice.

The vampire disregarded his words with a flick of her wrist, never removing her gaze from Stefan's wide and adoring eyes. Then, before Elena could absorb what was happening, Stefan and Katherine disappeared. One moment, they were standing before her and the next moment they were gone.

For a moment, Elena just stood, staring at the spot her beloved Stefan had occupied only seconds ago. The shock only lasted for a couple more seconds before reality came crashing back in.

Her first thought was, 'that bastard!'

Her second was, 'I need to get home.'

Her third thought didn't manifest in words. It crept through over her skin like spiders, causing her hair to stand on its tips.

'Damon is still here,' she thought to herself, before turning around to look at him.

Elena wasn't prepared for the sight that met her. The usually cocky, smug bastard looked utterly crestfallen. She found herself longing to move toward him and touch her fingers to the sunken corners of his lips. He looked so beaten and weak. It wasn't a look that suited him in the least.

Without realizing it, Elena had begun to inch toward the only remaining vampire. While her action had been unconscious to her, they were not invisible to Damon. No. They forced him to become painfully alert and excruciatingly aware of his behavior. Quickly, he forced his general mask of indifference back onto his face.

Elena opened her mouth, preparing to offer some words of comfort, but closed it just as quickly. She didn't like the smug look that he was giving her.

"It's okay to hurt, Damon," she snapped.

She didn't mean to be so angry. Honestly, her heart was burning with the pain that Stefan had just caused her. The man that she loved, terribly, recklessly and fully, had just run off with another woman. The fact that this woman looked exactly like her was just salt on the wound. She was not a fool. Seeing Katherine was a slap in her face. She couldn't deny the obvious. It was clear to her that she had merely been a replacement for Stefan's former love.

So _yes_. She didn't mean to be so angry toward Damon, but she just couldn't help it.

"Oh, Elena, were you wanting a shoulder to cry on?" he mocked.

His words were followed by another haughty smile, but Elena could see that it did not reach his eyes. Confidently and yet with a thumping, unsure heart, she took a step toward him.

"Should I get the tissues and we can have a sob fest together?"

She took another step closer, while he couldn't seem to stop taunting her.

"Perhaps we can grab a couple of chick flicks and go all out."

She was nearly there.

"We could just pour our hearts out until dawn."

Her body was inches from his. She looked up into his darkening eyes and smiled. Slowly, she reached the fingers of her right hand up and softly touched his check before cupping it fully in her hand.

"I'm hurting too, right now," she whispered and implored him to hear her with her eyes. She begged him to feel her own sorrow and share his with her.

He ripped his eyes away and coldly spat, "Don't kid yourself, Elena," before disappearing into the night.

Her hand dropped to her side as the tears began to slip from her eyes. She had never felt so wholly and completely alone.

* * *

Sometime around one in the morning, Elena crept toward her front door. She paused at the entrance, unsure of whether she could bear to enter right now. Part of her wanted to go back to the spot Stefan left her at. It was, however, a foolish desire and she knew it.

"Don't be so pathetic," she commanded herself aloud.

She undid the lock, but she just couldn't make herself turn the knob. Entering the house would mean that she had to admit and accept what happened. Part of her didn't want to do that. Part of her wanted to take off down the street and just keep running, vampires and the other monsters lurking around Fell's Church, Virginia be damned.

She knew it was stupid, but she chose to relock the door, turn and sprint off into the night.

* * *

Damon could sense her before he could even smell her. He wasn't sure how he could do that with the girl. Not a single other person had such a powerful affect on him. Neither did another's blood and body called to him like hers did. It was unnerving to say the least.

Reluctantly and yet, without hesitation, he shut down his senses and focused them all on her surroundings. He knew, as much as he didn't want to admit it, that if he sensed even the tinniest of threats, he would come down upon them with an unforgettable rage. At all costs, he would protect her.

He noted with a mixture of anger and joy that she was safe from outside disturbances. He also felt her moving in his direction. At this point he could even smell her and his chest rumbled with satisfaction. She smelled delectable. He could almost taste her blood gushing into his mouth and it caused his teeth to ache. Draining her was, at the moment, a very appealing option.

The sound of her heartbeat assaulted his ears. It was a heavenly sound and it nearly pushed his desire over the edge. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to taste her, feed from her and suck her dry. Surrendering to his vampiric instincts, he knew, would allow him to close down mentally. The thought was beyond desirable. He needed it. He needed her blood. Now.

Silently, he crept toward the girl. She had stopped moving. He could see her hunched over on the ground, only about a hundred feet away from him. With a wicked and yet delighted smile stretched across his face he prepared to spring and feast upon his prey.

The sound of her sobs, pulled at something within his chest, causing him to bolt up straight. For a split second he thought his frozen heart had jumped in his chest. The thought was disconcerting, to say the least.

Turning his back to her, he prepared to run.

"Please stay, Damon," she said so quietly that even he, with his superior hearing, could barely make out her words.

'How?' he questioned as his body froze.

"Please," she begged a little louder.

He was scared and Damon didn't like being scared. It was unsettling and he liked to be completely set in his surroundings. He liked to be on top of everything at all times. Being unaware and certain were not states-of-mine, which he generally allowed himself to experience.

The desire to flee was almost painful. His legs itched to run. He longed to transform into the raven and take flight, leaving the mystery that was Elena behind.

For reasons he did not want to fathom, he obeyed her wish. He stood behind her, still as a statue and just stayed.

"My parents," she said as her arm waved toward the two tombstones in front of her.

He didn't know how to respond. He hadn't asked and he'd already known who occupied the graves she was sitting near, but he didn't stop her. His mouth was frozen just as strongly as his feet were glued.

Being this undone was so uncommon for him.

"When I'm hurting, I come here," she continued.

He remained silent, as he continued to inwardly debate whether or not he aught to escape.

"Damon, this just hurts so much."

Tears started to slip through her eyes and the paralysis that had seized his body suddenly lifted. In its place, he became magnetized, pulled uncomfortably close to Elena much against his will. His hands snaked under her arms and wrapped around her waist as he sat down, cross-legged style. With one, easy lift, he hoisted her on top of his lap and let her head burry deep into his shoulder.

Elena's body, shaking with sobs, was the only movement he felt. Otherwise he was completely still, once again frozen solid because of this damnable woman. When did she acquire such a power over him?

The fear plaguing him with an excruciating longing to run had not left him. The need to stay by her side, his reputation and control over himself be damned, had overridden the desire.

"Shhh," he cooed.

The sound felt foreign on his tongue yet it didn't stop him from gently stroking the back of her head. It didn't stop him from slowly rocking her body back and forth until he had lulled her to sleep.

'Alright then,' he told himself as he carefully stood up with the sleeping girl still in his arms.

Soundlessly and gradually, he made his way to the Gilbert's house. It was around six in the morning when its familiar white pillars and black door came into sight.

Cautiously, he reached into Elena's pocket and fished out her keys, without waking her. Silently, he opened the door and crept up the stairs into her bedroom.

A comfortable, cocky grin crept over his lips. The rest of the Gilberts occupying the home were none the wiser to his present actions.

He pulled down her sheets with one hand and slipped her beneath them with the other. While he covered her up, without warning him, his right hand lightly brushed back a few strands of her hair.

"Stefan," Elena mumbled in her sleep.

A tight, uncomfortable feeling clenched his chest. Filing it away with all the other emotions and thoughts he didn't want to face, Damon stiffly stood and disappeared out the window.

* * *

**A/N**: What happened to Stefan and Katherine? What will Damon, desperately clinging to the cold-hard side of himself, which he can easily understand, do now? How will Elena handle everything when she wakes up? Find out soon, but, in the meantime, _please_ review, review, review. It is great motivation to kick my butt in gear so that I can crank out another chapter :).


	6. His Pain

**A/N**: Damon, no... Stefan no... :(

* * *

Hinting Beneath the Shell

"His Pain"

As Elena lay in bed, alternating between thrashing and whimpering in response to her nightmares, Damon stalked the streets as a living nightmare. He had fed. He had fed well. His teeth had plunged into the necks of countless victims. After seven he stopped thinking about how many he was taking. He had even stopped distinguishing between man and woman. After all, they were simply cattle to him.

So why did their screams make him feel the way they did?

Katherine's betrayal had him filled with rage, yet there was a missing element there. When he heard Elena calling out Stephan's name in her dream a different feeling consumed him. The reason for his current conundrum was not something he wanted to identify.

He smelled another person jogging through the forest he currently occupied. He hadn't even bothered to check the name of the place. Hell, he didn't even know, which state he was in. His legs had simply moved, utilizing his vampiric speed, until he'd come to wherever he was.

His hand slapped over the human's mouth, drowning out its cries of horror, as he drained the cow dry.

* * *

Elena woke up screaming. She felt a strong hand wrap under her head, cradling it and stopped making any noise. Her eyes opened to reveal the last person she wanted to see (in her room no less). Stefan bastard Salvatore.

"Elena-" he began softly in a voice that usually caused her heart to flip and any anger to melt. Right now, she just wasn't having either.

"Get out," she growled. Her voice was cold. The darkness in it even surprised herself.

"Elena," he tried again, but the look in her eyes spoke massive volumes.

Slowly Stefan let go of her head and pulled his hand back. As he did so, he softly caressed her right check and she cringed.

He tried again. "I'm sorry, Elena."

"Get out," she barked, but her resolve was weakening as the tears started to creep up at the corners of her eyes.

"I-I don't deserve you, Elena. You're too good for me. You deserve someone better. Someone human. You and I aren't right together."

Those words bit the tears back and set the anger ablaze. How dare he! How dare he say those words to her right now of all times!

"GET OUT!" She screamed.

Her door burst open and Jeremy came storming in.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, shooting daggers at Stefan with his eyes. He never liked the guy. There was just something off about him. Something

he couldn't put his finger quite on, but knew that if he could he just wouldn't like it.

"Stefan was just leaving," Elena said through clenched teeth.

Jeremy made room for the boy to exit and went over to Elena. He could see that the rage she had quickly worked up to was rapidly deflating. By the time he made it to her bed, tears were starting to fall down her face.

"He didn't hurt you at all, did he?" Jeremy snapped, as he glanced over her body to check for bruises.

She snorted, as the tears continued to flow.

"No, not physically," she responded.

"Are you sure because I can kick his ass for you, you know?"

There was a gleam in his eye as he said it and when Elena caught it, she started to laugh. He was glad that he had gotten her to stop crying. For one, he couldn't deal with crying girls. His sister crying over a creepy asshole was just icing on the cake of things he had a hard time handling.

She pushed him away, but there was a playfulness to the action.

"Go draw or something, Jer. I'm fine now."

"You sure? I think I like being a giant tissue."

She snorted again and gave him another push.

"Go on."

He smiled at her and went to exit the room. As he was closing the door he could hear her tiny scratching sounds. He knew that she was writing in her diary.

'Good. That means she's working through it,' he thought as he made his way back to his room. It was nine o'clock and a Saturday. Elena was crazy getting up so early.

Collapsing onto his bed, he prayed desperately that there wouldn't be any more disturbances requiring him to get up before he wanted to and go play protective brother.

* * *

"I did tell you, my love," said the woman in a voice so deceptively similar to Elena's that it made Stefan feel nauseous.

She fingered her recently returned ring affectionately and then buried one of her tiny hands beneath his jacket. With a satisfied smile on her face, she ushered him away from the house.

Dejected, Stefan let himself be lead away.

* * *

Damon transformed into the raven and let the winds carry him where they would. Without thought, he glided along until he landed on a tree outside of an all too familiar window. From there he watched the crying woman inside with the peaceful, indifference of a bird.

* * *

**A/N**: Okay, you guys deserve a happier chapter... soon!

Does anyone else like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo? Can anyone guess why I'm asking?


	7. Her Front

Hinting Beneath the Shell

"Her Front"

The thick beams of sun streamed through the window. Their brightness stung at her eyes swollen from a night of crying. It was one she had blessedly fallen from when exhaustion gripped her around three in the morning.

The light was a painful reminder that she had forgotten to draw the blinds last night. This was shortly followed by the ache in her back and neck from falling asleep crumpled up on her side. Her head throbbed along with her jaw and she was pretty sure she could feel the inside of her eyelids like never before.

Reluctantly, she pushed herself up and groaned when she saw that she had forgotten to remove her shoes. Kicking them off, she moved to rub the swollen appendages while she thought over what had happened. What had she done yesterday? Other than the obvious, of course. She didn't need any more reminders than the burn of her eyes or the accompanying red color she was sure to find as soon as she mustered up the will to wash up.

There had been a party. She could smell the beer on herself. She recalled drinking. Lots of drinking. And drugs. She didn't touch the later - Thank God! - but based on the amount of alcohol she downed she might as well have. As it was, she was actually surprised that she couldn't smell pee. What would Stephan think?

'Don't think about him,' she growled inwardly.

Her throat was swollen. Had she been yelling?

"Oh my God!" She shouted aloud as her eyes grew big.

Ignoring the ache in her joints, she dove off the bed for her phone, nearly tripping in the wake of her exuberant effort to get to it. After dialing a number she knew by heart, she quickly brought the phone to her ear. As the rings followed one after another, each seeming to drag on longer than the last, she held her breath tight.

"Hello?" a voice said.

"Oh my God, Bon! I am so, so, so sorry!" She blurted in one big rush of words, praying that her best-friend of so many years wouldn't hang up.

There was a moment of silence and Elena was almost certain that Bonnie had hung up. She was about to put the phone down herself before she heard a intake of breath from the other end.

"Keep going," Bonnie insisted, in a serious, but somewhat amused tone.

Elena smiled and launched into the apology to end all apologies. She assured her best-friend that she was a moron and promised to never-ever drink so much again. Stephan - 'Don't think that name!' - had already wounded her beyond repair. She wasn't going to let him take anything else from her.

* * *

The next several days passed by in a blur. She went to class and took notes, which refused to stick a brain that was elsewhere. She visited with her friends and frequented the bar, although she was sure to keep her drinking to a minimum. She ate food of all different shapes, sizes and seasonings, but it fell tasteless against her tongue. Elena was decaying inside. She was falling apart and nobody could tell.

Bonnie suspected that something was amiss. She knew Elena too well to not see past the known actress' front. Still, a couple laughs and a night of flirting with some new guys over several games of pool had the witch wondering whether Elena really was moving on. Maybe.

The rest of Mystic Fall's occupants considered the girl to be more bright and cheery than ever. In their eyes, Elena even seemed better than when she was dating that strange boy with the mannerisms of a man. And it was about time. The poor dear had had enough to deal with already, losing her parents like she did.

Elena had everyone fooled. Everyone except herself. And _him_.

* * *

The eldest Salvatore brother continued to randomly tour the United States, sticking to the outskirts of larger cities were people went missing every day. What were a few more useless cows taken to slaughter, especially from impoverished neighborhoods? Such were the thoughts of one Damon Salvatore.

Every day until the dead of night, he tried to satisfy the emptiness in his chest with blood. Sometimes he fed from only one or two and other times it was well into the teens. Sometimes they lived and sometimes they died. He took without notice for he never had conflict with any of the blood bags. He never even ran across another vampire.

Feeding was a lot simpler when one had no need for emotions and simply gave himself over to instinct. Of that, and little else, he was certain.

Every night, when he could take in no more blood, Damon flew his heavy body back to _her_ window. He innards sloshed from so much blood when he perched on the tree outside her window. From there, as a crow, he watched her peel off the mask she wore for others, scratch a few notes into her diary, crawl beneath her covers and sob herself to sleep.

He could feel her pain within himself. Blood couldn't give him that feeling. It wasn't pleasant. On the contrary, it stung. As a matter of fact, the sensation of thirst coupled with aching fangs was preferable. Still, while it wasn't in a good way, it at least filled that hunger in his chest.

What was it about the perplexing girl before him? He had thought her similarities to Katherine had been his only draw to her, but now he was not certain. After all, Elena may look like Katherine, but she was nothing like her in behavior. Certainly, like most women Damon had come across, Elena, like Katherine, was won't to scheme and had quite the temper. Still, there was a gentleness to her and a sense of caring for others, an over all goodness, that Katherine never possessed.

The girl fell still inside, finally giving way to exhaustion. He watched her toss and turn, clearly deep in a nightmare, until she finally settled peacefully.

"Damon," she whispered contently.

If it were possible, Damon's heart would have stopped. As it were, he felt the area clench up without release. Not knowing what possessed him, he transformed back into his vampire form and took to the streets. He didn't stop until he had silently broken into the shop he was looking for. Object in hand, he exited, removing all traces of his presence on the way out, and ran back until he was once again just outside of Elena's room.

Quietly opening the window, Damon slipped in like a soft breeze. He stopped at the foot of the bed and before he could stop he watched his hand, foreign to him in the moment, reach toward the sleeping girl. The backs of his fingers gently brushed across her cheek and he stared as Elena leaned into the touch and sighed.

His heart area clenched again and it was all he could do to not pull back the covers. He longed to wrap his arms around the sleeping girl and acquire the same response again and again. Instead, he restrained himself and left something at her feet.

Damon shut the window silently behind him and disappeared into the night.

He had left a yellow daffodil.

* * *

A/N: Wow… I know it's been a year. I didn't think I'd even pick this up, but I started writing again a month ago and decided I needed to finish my fanfictions. So, here I am trying to get back in the swing of writing this thing. Not sure where it's going (other than bringing Damon and Elena together). Time will tell.

To anyone still following this story: this one is for you.

A yellow daffodil symbolizes "unrequited love", "respect" and "the sun shines when I am with you".


	8. His Loneliness

Hinting Beneath the Shell

"His Loneliness"

_Dear Diary,_

_ Five days ago I awoke to find a fresh, yellow daffodil at the foot of my bed. My first thought was that it was from Stefan, but with a monumental smash to my heart shortly thereafter that thought died. I had told him to leave and knew it was final. Besides he had Katherine to keep him company. To hold him and kiss him and love him and do God knows whatever else with him..._

_ I didn't want Stefan to come back to me did I? Oh my God, I'm turning into one of those pathetic exes that goes back to their cheating former boyfriends, aren't I? I'm turning into Aunt Jenna. I'm-  
_

_ Okay Diary, that wasn't nice and that isn't true. At least, I'm pretty sure it isn't true. Of course, I still love Stefan, but it doesn't excuse everything he's done. It doesn't mean I would take him back._

_ Why am I even thinking about this? Stefan didn't leave the yellow daffodil. He is with Katherine, my evil great, great, great something, vampire doppelganger. It wasn't from him, which brings me to my next thought: Damon._

_ Now that Stefan and I are no longer together - I will not cry, Diary - I had assumed that Damon would stopping hanging around me. I mean, he was only trying to make Stefan's life miserable by being near me, wasn't he? But it can't be true, Diary, for I feel Damon at my window every night. I don't know why he is there, but I don't have the courage to call him out on it._

Elena chewed the tip of her pen and thought hard. Her eyes trailed over the yellow daffodil in a small vase on her nightstand, but she wasn't seeing the flower. She was too deep in thought to see much of anything.

_I am going to confront him tonight._

Determination pumped through her veins and she jutted out her jaw to match. After placing the Diary on her nightstand - after all, if Damon was going to read it he'd be able to find it even if she hid it beneath the floorboards - she pulled back her sheets and crawled beneath them. Her mind tried to shut down in hopes of getting some rest before he came, but she couldn't stop thinking over why Damon was doing this.

A yellow daffodil was a symbol of love. Was he simply toying with her like usual or did this mean something else?

* * *

Damon rolled over toward the other side of the bed and told the long haired brunette to leave. When she didn't move fast enough for him, instead bravely and foolishly trying to unbutton his shirt again, he compelled her to run. She left quickly after that and he was once again alone.

Always alone.

He'd gone home to the Salvatore estate several days prior to find a painful and yet delicious sight. Katherine was walking out of the shower and down into the large living room. Her luscious scent was rolling off of her in waves and he'd found himself frozen in place. When she stopped she had turn to him, dropped her towel and winked. He'd almost gone to her then, but a movement in the corner of his eye had stopped him. It was Stefan, who was quickly in front of Katherine, wrapping her discarded towel around her body. He'd turned to glare at Damon who simply shrugged, poured himself a glass of bourbon he downed all at once and then left.

He had moved into a boarding house run by a woman named Mrs. Flowers after that. There was something odd about the owner, but Damon was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to give it any mind time. The move was meant to be temporary, but since he had no idea what to do with himself it was quickly moving into indefinite territory.

Damon knew he should leave. Katherine had betrayed him. When he had found her she had promised him that she would be his and only his. She had said that she only wanted to go with him to Mystic Falls to say goodbye to Stefan and to tell the younger brother that she had never loved him. Damon had foolishly believed her and the next thing he knew, she was toying with the two brothers.

Well he wouldn't play. Not this time.

The massive feedings were getting to be a bore. It was a realization that he never for the unlife of him would have considered falling upon. Of course, the blood still tasted sweet. Sapping energy out of the rich tasting liquid as he drained the life from a human was an ambrosia one simply couldn't understand without experiencing it for themselves. Nevertheless, the feeding had lost its ability to shut him down.

He didn't understand when it had happened. One day he could give himself over entirely to the beast within and then the next thing he knew, he was unable to stop feeling. And did he ever feel so much!

Damon felt the anguish of his victims as he violated them from the inside out, pulling their essential life force into himself. He felt remorse and shame at the violence he had committed throughout the years. The vampire couldn't even look at his reflection without anger and hatred welling up inside of him and bursting out in one thick flare of his dark aura. In fact, Mrs. Flowers already had to replace the mirror in his bathroom from the last time he'd taken a look.

Nothing compared to the ever growing ache in his chest. Katherine's betrayal was like a raindrop in the ocean of pain he felt turning and expanding each day. He was so very alone. The thought fed that pain. So very alone. And only _she_ could dull the ache.

* * *

Elena felt a dark, but familiar presence and forced herself not to respond. She kept her breathing shallow and focused on being in her happy place. The sun was shining, a river was nearby and she was dancing through a feel of wildflowers. It was a peaceful image she could relax into. It kept her heart from racing, especially when she felt him moving toward her bed.

Before Damon's fingers could brush against Elena's cheek, she moved the hand farthest from him and grabbed his tightly.

"Why?" Elena whispered.

For a moment, he was unable to move, let alone process her question. He had been certain when he came in that the girl was asleep. Had his presence woken her up? He recalled the time in the cemetery when she had felt him nearby. Perhaps she had the ability to feel auras. Perhaps it was just his.

"Why are you here?"

Before he could release his hand from her grip, Elena intertwined her fingers with his own. She held on tightly as if to communicate she wanted to understand, but didn't want him to leave.

"I-" he began. He couldn't finish. He didn't know why he was here.

She tried a different approach. "Why did you leave the yellow daffodil?"

Of course she would know it was from him. Nothing he did appeared to be able to surprise the girl anymore. She had stolen his ability to hide. Why not his anonymity?

"I-"

Damon felt wholly unlike himself. He felt like he was coming undone at the seems and things entirely unfamiliar to himself were coming out of the holes. Somehow this girl had him unhinged and he didn't know how to behave anymore. For the first time in a long time, Damon was truly frightened.

"I thought you would leave now that Stefan and I are no longer together," she added sadly. It was her quietest whisper.

He didn't know what possessed him next. He didn't understand if it was because of the pain of Katherine's betrayal or the need to fill the void growing from within. Maybe it was simply the fact that this girl wielded a power over him and he couldn't resist. Whatever it was that caused it, the next thing he knew his lips had descended upon her own. He was molding his mouth against her soft, oh so soft lips, caressing them with everything he hadn't known he felt.

Elena responded in kind, matching his vigor with her own. She wound her fingers up through his soft, but thick head of black hair. As his tongue begged entrance into her mouth, she curled her fingers together and pulled. Her mouth opened after, allowing the staccato moan from Damon to burst over her tongue.

As a tingling sensation wrapped around her head like a thick fog, their tongues began to dance. Elena found herself moaning as his taste filled her mouth. She didn't know it could be like this. It was ecstasy. It was all-consuming, dominating her every thought and action, forcing her to relinquish control. She would do so gladly!

'Yes, Damon. Make me forget.'

He pulled his face and hand out of her grip with a jerk. Her poisonous thoughts had ripped open the wound in his chest to a point where he thought he might go mad from the pain.

"I won't play your game," he bit out and Elena had to wonder whether he was talking to her or someone else.

"No game, Damon. I'm sorry. I just…" she tried.

He wouldn't listen. He was already out the window. Elena watched as the drapes billowed in the wake of his powerful aura and then stilled.

* * *

**A/N:** So what do we think? Is it time to see what Stefan and Katherine are up to?

I created a banner for this story: h t t p : / lucineraven . webs . com / DE1-1 . jpg (remove the spaces or click on my profile to view the link).

To those who like magic, Elementals, merpeople, other exotic creatures of myth and imagination, inter-dimensional travel and Harry Potter I'd recommend my newest story, DarkWood. It's an adventure fic, which takes place in an Alternate Universe at a new school, DarkWood. Hermione and Draco are two of the main characters and I have a lot of fun, new OCs in the works. Check out: "DarkWood: First Year"

Also, there will be a website for my fanfics coming to you shortly. I'll post the link as soon as I have the second chapter of DarkWood up. Check in at my profile to watch for the link.

**This chapter is dedicated to riceballcrossidol and Maiqu for waiting this story out. It is reviewers like you that make writing here worthwhile :).**


	9. Her Escape

Hinting Beneath the Shell

"Her Escape"

Fingers so soft, feeling so deceptively familiar upon contact, traced over his skin. They danced and swirled over the bare flesh of his chest, leaving tendrils of flame in their wake. With his eyes squeezed shut along with his mind, Stefan was able to pretend it was someone else above him. He could almost make himself believe it was Elena pouring her love into his body through her touch.

Katherine sunk her nails into Stefan's neck and snapped, "This will not do!" The anger quickly faded into giggles. Gently she tried, "Open your eyes, Stefan." He ignored her coaxing, transforming her soft drawl to one more menacing. "Open. Your. Eyes. Stefan," she growled, sinking her nails further into his flesh.

Stefan's eyes snapped open and turned to Katherine. The look he gave her we filled with pure hated, but they also conveyed a question he was unable to hide. The signs were to real to ignore. Could he read her thoughts?

"Oh, Stefan, Stefan, Stefan," she teased, her usual, childish playfulness back in full swing, "didn't you know you were projecting again?" She traced a pinky nail over his lips and smiled like a cat.

A look of shock flickered across Stefan's face.

"Indeed you were, my Stefan," she said sadly. "That little girl," she began, dragging over 'little' and 'girl' like one would remove dung from a shoe, "has made you so human. It's disgusting!" she spat. "The way you've gone after that blood bag, that cow, makes me sick."

Stefan broke from Katherine's grip, allowing her to pull some of the skin from his neck in the process. He ignored the pain and instead focused on pinning the vampiress beneath him. Succeeding, he grabbed both of her arms and also pinned them to the bed.

Her eyes became dark and she bucked upward against him.

"Oh Stefan! I do love it when you take control like this," she purred.

"You. Will. Not. Speak. About. Elena. Like. That," he said carefully, attempting to keep a grip on his quickly fading control. Stefan hated Katherine nearly as much as he loved Elena, but he didn't want to kill her. He had promised himself that he would help her find her humanity. Of course, if the beast within him was released he couldn't be certain that he could keep that promise.

Katherine easily broke from Stefan's grip and flipped him over so that she was the one pinning him to the bed.

"I know you never planned on turning her," she said slowly, letting the words hang in the air.

There was something in those words. Beneath it lingered a dangerous threat, Stefan couldn't ignore. He could taste it like raw meat on his tongue. It was nauseating and, at the same time, absolutely terrifying. Stefan could almost hear her add, "but accidents happen." Almost.

The male vampire hid his fear well, as he had put walls in his mind up to keep Katherine out, but she knew him better then any other. She was beneath his skin and even though he was hiding himself so well now, she could feel his emotions like they were her own. Katherine loved him, she simply knew it to be true and she wanted him to be happy with _her_. Still, his worry was delicious to her. It was the first sign of him breaking.

Katherine smiled to herself. Her plans were already unfolding. She would have Stefan, but first she would break him. She would break him to save him and then he would be all hers.

* * *

Fall break came like a breath of fresh air to the drowning girl. She needed so much to just get away from Mystic Falls. Even if it was only for a week, Elena needed to just be a normal girl on vacation. No vampires, no dopplegangers, no werewolves, no magic and, most of all, no Salvatore brothers. Now, more than ever, for the first time in a long time Elena had come to realize that she needed to be alone.

Elena finished packing her large, brown suitcase to the brim. She added her diary to the top and was just able to squeeze the luggage shut, with a snap of the clasps. Pulling it off the bed and onto the floor, she was so thankful that Jenna had give her a bag with wheels. The thing was so full of options that anyone else opening it may have mistaken it for Caroline's.

Caroline and Bonnie. Elena would miss her two best friends immensely! They were going on a vacation to the Florida Keys - an effort that had taken months upon months of saving up on all of their parts. Of course, Elena had planned on going with them as well, but, due to the recent traumatic events which were dangerously moving into normal territory for her, the girl found she just couldn't bear going right now. Undoubtably, she would be like a raincloud carrying them all down. No. She needed to go somewhere alone.

The dreary girl smoothed some clear lip gloss on her lips and gave herself a once over. Smiling in satisfaction at her reflection, Elena grabbed the handle of her luggage and made her way out the door. Jeremy popped up when she passed his door and carried the bag down the stairs for her, ignoring her objections entirely.

"Thanks," Elena said quietly, smiling in affection. The siblings had their ups and downs, with quite a few fall-outs added to the mix, but in the end of the day, they loved each other.

Jeremy just shrugged and carried the suitcase out the door to Jenna's car. Their aunt was letting Elena use the Gilbert's only car for the break.

Elena excitedly waited, her hand extend away from her body with the palm tautly held open. After a moment, she began tapping her foot causing Jenna to raise her eyebrows. The aunt gave her niece an, "are you serious?" look, which the teenager responded to by throwing her hands in the air in a show of exasperation. Jenna laughed and held the keys out, which Elena snatched instantly.

"Be safe," Jenna insisted, as Elena began running for the door. The girl turned around and quickly engulfed her aunt into a strong hug, sealed with a quick peck on the cheek.

"I will. Thanks!" the girl mumbled before tearing out the front door and bolting toward the car.

"You're all set," Jeremy said, loudly smacking the car's trunk once with his hand.

"Thanks, Jer!"

The brother allowed himself to be pulled into a tight hug. After awhile, just before Elena could pull away he tightened his grip around her.

"Be safe, okay?" he said, his tone serious. For a split second Elena thought she was hugging her Father. Jeremy sounded so much like the man and Elena's heart both cracked and soared.

"Of course!' she laughed, smiling brightly at her little brother. He really was becoming a man. Elena knew it was because of this that she could trust him to keep Jenna safe while she was gone.

They broke apart. Elena made her way toward the door on the driver's side and yanked it open. She quickly hopped into the seat and couldn't keep herself from bouncing up and down. Jeremy laughed at her childish antics and she stuck her tongue out at him.

'I can't believe I am going on a road trip by myself!' Elena thought, excitedly.

The car pulled out of the driveway, carrying a waving, giddy Elena along with it. Jeremy and her aunt, who was still on the porch, waved back. Sadly, she pulled her face away from her only remaining family and set her sights on the trip. Smiling, she accelerated forward, beginning her trip, her precious escape.

* * *

**A/N:** Now where did Damon get off to?

The response for the last chapter was nil. I'm hoping this one is a little more up to your standards. I know everyone wants to see Elena and Damon together… believe me, it's coming and it'll be worth the wait. I'm just trying to make it seem more realistic. After all, Damon has done many unforgivable things to Elena, her friends and her family, which he hasn't shown much remorse about… _yet_.

I need feedback. Read and Review. Thanks :D!

_~ Lucine Raven_


	10. Her Four Days Before

Hinting Beneath the Shell

"Her Four Days Before"

She tore down the highway going eighty-three in a sixty-five. The radio was cranked up to the max so that she could still hear the music over the whooshing of the air passing by her open windows. A half-full bottle of Pepsi rested in the driver's side, cup holder next to an empty bottle in the other one. She had stopped to purchase the drinks about twenty miles back and had sucked the liquid down a little too quickly. Elena needed to pee. Badly.

The girl spotted a rest sign and sped up to reach the exit. Unfortunately, she was so focused on getting to her destination quickly that she had failed to spot the cop car to the right. Pedal pushed to the floor of her car, Elena flew by the cop car.

Flashing red and blue lights in her rear view window claimed her attention. She slowed down, praying that the cop was going after someone else. He got closer to her bumper and she decided today was just not her lucky day.

"Shit," Elena snapped as she pulled off onto the side of the road. She was mere feet from the pull off to the rest stop and she stared at it longingly.

A knock on her window pulled her focus in that direction. She pressed her thumb into the button to open her window and put her best smile on.

"Good evening, officer," She said in a cheerful voice, thankful that she had worn a low-cut blouse.

"Miss, are you aware of how fast you were going?" he asked in a serious tone, but Elena hadn't missed the appreciative once over he had given her. Hook, line and sinker!

Dropping her head bashfully, she prepared a reply. When she was ready, she lifted her head to reply, but before she could utter the words someone else had cut in.

"You will go back into your car and forget that you pulled anyone over. When you get in your car, I want you to spill coffee on yourself. You just stopped to clean yourself up."

Elena's head snapped toward the occupant of her passenger's seat.

"Damon," she growled warningly.

"Shoo," he said to the op, flicking his hand in dismissal.

"What are you doing, Damon?" Elena growled.

He cocked an eyebrow and replied, "Saving you, of course!"

Elena rolled her eyes, before starring at him petulantly once again. If she were standing, she probably would have been tapping her foot against the ground in an attempt to diffuse her climbing anger. As it was she was sitting in a car, with an unwelcome Damon, on the side of the highway about to explode.

"Why are you here?" Her voice had dropped an octave.

He scrunched his brows into a searching look as he met her eyes. For sevela moments - possibly hours as far as Elena was concerned - he silent starred into her. She felt her body freezing up as she lost herself in those blue orbs. Only her heart was moving. It beat against her chest like a bowling bowl knocking down pins.

With that smile that made Elena's heart skip a beat unpin his face, Damon shrugged. In an obnoxiously nonchalant manner, he said, "Fall break."

"You're not in school, Damon. You can't be on fall break."

"Yet here I am," he quipped.

She cracked a smile before squashing it. How easy it was to fall into that comfortable, verbal volley with him! And how quick her heart reminded her of the moment he left out her window, the taste of his mouth still fresh against her lips. She shouldn't do this with him. She _couldn't _do this with him.

"I thought you said you were done playing games, Damon," she said, quietly and coldly, throwing his own words back at him.

For a moment a rush of something gusted across his eyes. It lasted for barely a second before disappearing, leaving his face to fall back into the typical, cocky expression that was so characteristically Damon.

Barely missing a beat, he replied, "Have you ever noticed how much you say my name, _Elena_?"

She opened her mouth to snap back a quip, but shut it when nothing came. A blush crept across her cheeks as she struggled to deny his words to herself.

"Do you like the way it tastes _sliding_ out of your mouth?" he added smugly.

She rolled her eyes and execrated toward the rest stop. When she looked out her rear-view mirror the cop who had pulled her over was scrubbing viscously at a coffee stain on his shirt. Elena frowned, but continued forward. She didn't like it, but she couldn't do anything about Damon's escapades. She also couldn't do anything about his presence in her car.

'Damn, Damon,' she though before putting the frustrating conundrum that was the tall, dark and handsome vampire aside. She had more pressing things to focus on at the moment. She still really, really, really had to pee.

* * *

Elena had spent three days with Damon and, much to her surprise, it wasn't that bad. They had kept on the move, stopping only to sleep at several bed and breakfasts on the way, which they took turns paying for. Elena hadn't had a destination in mind and Damon seemed alright with that. She had simply been enjoying the feeling of being on the move and he had revealed in that shared sense of freedom. Most of the time was spent in companionable silence, but they had each taken pleasure in the occasional verbal sparring they couldn't stop even if they wanted to. Elena wasn't sure that she did.

At some point they had stopped at a carnival. Damon had beat the test your strength game, shocking the man tending the game and all the onlookers. After, he had allowed Elena to choose a prize and after some deliberation she pointed to a fist-sized, stuffed bat. She had, much to Damon's annoyance, named him Dammie. This had prompted a conversation about whether or not Damon could turn into a bat. Much to her disappointment, had assured her that he couldn't. Later that night, however, he had surprised her by transforming into a raven at the two-bedded motel room they had rented that night.

The girl was shocked at how intrigued she was by Damon's ability to shift into an animal. It was magical and she swore that she could feel the power ebbing off of him during the transformation. Damon was equally bewildered, albeit for a different reason. It was the first time he had allowed a human to touch him in that form, which he had a good reason for never doing before. Becoming an animal left him physically vulnerable. Somehow, however, he knew he was safe being like with Elena._ Even_ from behind the mentality of a bird, much to his surprise, Elena had a soothing affect on him.

The unlikely pair hadn't known what they were doing on a road trip together. They didn't understand why they were choosing to spend so much time alone together. They didn't call it anything. Friends was enough of a title to stand behind right now. It was simple. Not complicated. They both needed that.

It was on the fourth day of their trip that the saying "all good things must come to an end" reared it ugly head. One phone call was all it had taken to damage the sense of peace Elena and Damon were sharing.

"Elena, it's Jenna and Jeremy," Stefan had said, avoiding all of the pleasantries she wouldn't have appreciated. He had even gone as far as to call her from a pay phone, knowing fully how very unlikely it was that she would answer a call from his cell.

She had listened to him explain concepts she didn't want to understand about bodily damage and hospitals and unstable conditions, wanting increasingly to hang up and chuck the phone out the window. Damon had grabbed her hand and held on tightly, while she attempted not to spontaneously shatter all over the passenger seat. The vampire - privy to the entire conversation that had destroyed Elena's already fragile world - was grateful that he had convinced her to let him drive today.

Damon slid into the left lane of the highway and made an illegal u-turn. Elena ignored him, her mind and heart solely focused on getting back to Mystical Falls. She stared out the passenger window as the scenery flew on by - indicative of the dangerous speed Damon had pushed the car to go. The girl was too worn out to chastise him. She really only had enough strength for one thought.

'Please let them live. Please let them live,' she prayed silently to anyone who might be listening.

* * *

**A/N:** Oh no!

I'm sorry its taken me longer to update. I know where I want this story to go. I've even considered a sequel, but getting to the end is proving to be just a little difficult… :/

Read and review please. I need reviews to stimulate the creative flow. ^_^

_~ Lucine Raven_


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